The first time I registered to be an organ donor, my mother was frightened that if I had an accident, the hospital wouldn’t save me if they saw the sticker on my license. I laughed that off . . . until I learned that many people don’t register for similar reasons. The not so funny twist is that myths sometimes prevent people from making some very safe and sound decisions. Like the myth that people over 50 are too old to donate organs, or that you can only donate upon death.

My own family illustrated that the only upon death myth was false. When a cousin reached out to our extensive family to tell us she needed a kidney transplant, several underwent tests to see if they were a match. Fortunately, a cousin in another state was and stepped forward to donate. The cousin who received the new kidney lived another eight years thanks to that donation.

Here are some real facts. People can donate at any age; the condition of one’s organ is more important than one’s age. Every 10 minutes, someone new is added to the organ donor list. Each day about 79 people receive organ transplants but another 18 people die daily while waiting for a donor. What’s truly unfortunate is that often, the organ they need does not require someone to die to donate it. Kidneys can and are donated from healthy living people. Bone marrow, blood stem cells and skin and bone tissues are all other examples of “live” donations. A living donor can also donate one of two lobes of their liver, part of a lung, part of the pancreas, and part of the intestines.

We most often hear about organ donation upon death. And usually it’s on the heels of an accident or tragic event when families make the heart-wrenching yet incredibly generous decision to donate a loved one’s organs. By making the decision oneself when healthy, it not only offers a life-saving gift to whomever may benefit but also to one’s own family who can follow that loved one’s wishes rather than have to make the decision for the person.

To date, 117,722 people are waiting for an organ in the U.S. One organ donor can save up to 8 lives. Learn the facts about donation while you yourself can make the decision to donate. Visit www.organdonor.gov.